Abstract

The recent financial crisis highlighted the importance of risk disclosures for investors and the wider society. We examined changes in risk disclosures in three UK-based construction companies before, during and after the financial crisis. The findings suggest that a crisis motivates a rise in the volume and quality of information provided by companies, while during periods of stability, companies generally provide less information and the quality of information is generic and repetitive in nature. Based on our research, a crisis enhances the overall volume of disclosures and this level of disclosure is maintained after the crisis, while any improvements in the quality of risk information are temporary.